in the eye of the storm, i am still
by 6xxxangelxxx9
Summary: this is my opinion of what lisa and jackson feel after the movie, and what happens to them later on. eventual HOT jl.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with red eye

Chapter One

_She walked alone on a dark road, thunderclouds overhead, threatening rain. She knew she was late for something important, if only she could remember what it was. She noticed a shadow behind her, dogging her every step and breathing heavily, making her nervous. But all she could see was the shadow, she was afraid to turn around all the way, afraid of what she might see. Or of what she might not see. She began to hurry, quickening her pace without even thinking about it, until she was all out running. Bam! She smacked into a wall, and her heart nearly stopped. Then she noticed that the wall had ice blue eyes, narrowed to slits of rage. She spun around, trying to lose him, but he was everywhere she turned, breathing heavily into her face, the rotten, putrid stink, she could breathe, there was pressure on her chest-_

"Oof!"

Lisa Reisert awoke with a giant woosh of air leaving her body. Her enormous wolfhound, Baby, was licking her face with a passion that could only equal an overweight boy trying to get every last lick of ice cream out of his bowl.

"Baby, get _off_ me. You stink soo bad," lisa muttered to her dog, pushing him vainly. The sixty pounds of love refused to move.

"Ok, Im up!" She announced in resignation. She climbed out of bed, pulled on a pair of shorts groggily and, without even hazarding a glance to the mirror, she jerked her head at the door, whistling to her dog.

As she stood on her front lawn, waiting for Baby to do his business and shivering in the pre-dawn chill, she once again wondered to herself why on earth she had decided to buy a dog. Nearly a year after the red eye flight, she had still been skittish (paranoid, according to Cynthia), and had allowed herself to be persuaded into getting a companion for herself. After carefully researching breeds, she had decided that too much work in research was a total waste of time, and had chosen to buy the biggest dog she could find, assuming that it would be the most able to protect her.

But having a champion protector and best friend certainly had its drawbacks.

Grimacing as she scooped up the refuse with a plastic baggie, she whistled again to her dog, and they went back inside the house.

"Baby, you might be more trouble than youre worth,"she stated glibly.

Baby whined.

Lisa considered trying to sleep another couple of hours, but decided it was useless. It was already 4:30, and she had to be at the Lux Atlantic at 6:30. and, she reflected, she probably wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. She was a light sleeper at best, and since the "ordeal", that characteristic had been heightened.

She heated the stove in preparation for her meager breakfast, a pan of oatmeal. To spruce it up, she threw some strawberries and blackberries in it, and sat at her table with the latest Harry Potter book, (her dirty little secret; she was obsessed). She cozily curled her toes up under her as she sat, and the sound of Baby's tail thumping against the floor drifted into the background as she lost herself in the world of witches and wizards.

She was startled out of her comfort ritual by the fierce sound of Baby barking, followed by a frenzied knocking at her door.

She smiled.

"Now I remember why I got you," she cooed. With her heart slightly in her throat, and her hands clenched into fists, she tiptoed to the door, and snapped open the peephole.

No one there.

Without taking a second glance, she scuttled back to her seat, and sat, her heart thumping wildly. A thought had sprung unbidden into her mind as she went to the door. A random feeling, perhaps brought on by the dream.

"I really thought it would be him this time," she whispered to Baby.

She felt odd, disappointed. She shouldn't want to see him, not after he terrorized her, tried to kill her, and made her life and psyche miserable. She examined her thoughts. Besides her father, jack rippner had been the first man to get so close to her after the rape three years ago. That should make him all the more feared, logically. But he had also made her feel more alive than she had in a very long time. She remembered how he'd slammed her against the wall numerous times, and tried to remember how much it had hurt. It _had _hurt. But in those few moments before the police had arrived, the look in his eyes hadn't been murder, like before. It had been desperation. She hungered for that again. Was it possible that she missed him? How could that be? That wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to loathe him with a fiery passion for making her life what it was. He was the reason she'd gotten Baby, she mused as she scratched his ears absently. But she knew it wasn't just random memory that made his eyes appear every time she closed her own.

But where was he now?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with red eye

This next chapter is from Jackson's perspective.

Chapter 2

Jackson ran his hands frustratedly through his black hair, pursing his lips in exhaustion. The boss had given him another mission as a show of good faith, and it wasn't going well. He racked his brain to think of a new perspective on the case, (murder some wealthy politician), knowing that his very usefulness was solely based on his ability to think on his feet.

He sat down at the desk of his hotel room and threw his feet up onto the gleaming mahogany surface. What was he doing here in Michigan anyway? Who honestly goes to Michigan? Nobody, that's who.

His mind wandered back to that memorable meeting with the chief six months ago, after his release from the hospital.

_"Rippner, we need to talk about the last mission."_

_"Yes Sir."_

_"You fucked up."_

_"Yes Sir."_

_"We lost one of our most valuable clients."_

_"We did, Sir."_

_"We're discussing your release, Rippner. We just cant afford to have someone in the company whose heart isn't completely in the job."_

_"My heart was in the job, Sir."_

_"Well, obviously it wasn't, because if it had been, the Keefes would be dead right now, and I'd still have one of my best customers."_

_"Yes Sir."_

_"Now, at the risk of sounding cheap, it would be more costly to train a new assassin than to keep you, and there's no denying you're the best at the business. So we're going to give you a chance to prove yourself. The file will be on your desk at 600 hours tomorrow. Don't fuck this up."_

So here he was, planning the death of a certain senator in michigan. It still pissed him off to think of how the chief had spoken to him that night, so condescendingly, like a schoolteacher to a fidgety child.

Now, back to business.

But as he was planning the deaths of the senators bodyguards, his mind wandered once again, this time to the only woman who had ever beaten him.

_"You failed, Jack. What, you didn't hear? Every single person in that hotel is alive right now." Her green eyes sparkled with triumph. _

_As he held her to the wall, he grimaced in contained fury. No, he hadn't heard. He'd had only one thing on his mind, which was vengeance. He felt her soft body beneath his and felt his heart begin to pound. His eyes traveled to her full lips, pouted in the attempt to escape him. _

_She looked back at him, mocking him again._

_"You're pathetic," she spat. _

_In his fury, he noticed that he'd flung her over his shoulder and down the stairs. He followed her down, pressing his throat where she'd stabbed him, limping where she thrown a high-heeled shoe into his thigh._

_By the time he got down the stairs, she had found the gun. _

_His eyes shot to the door._

_"We'll talk again," he promised._

_She shot him. She shot him! He didn't even feel it, in his rage. After another tussle, he was standing above her, gripping her silky hair with a knife to her neck. But through it all, she still showed no fear in him. _

_All at once, pain exploded in his chest, and he was thrown backwards. _

_He opened his eyes, lying in shock on the entryway floor, hearing the sounds of approaching sirens. _

_Shit._

_He looked up, and his eyes found Lisa's. but she wasn't looking triumphant, as he would've expected. She looked miserable. He tried to tell her it was ok, but he couldn't move. He kept his eyes on her until they took him away._

That had been almost a year ago, and he still thought of her almost every day. The surprise, when she'd defied him, the pleasure, when she'd first spoken to him, the intimacy they'd almost shared twice, once in the bathroom, once in her house. In those moments of utter battle, something else had flickered between them. Something undeniable. Something completely unfortunate.

Something completely irrelevant, because he would never see her again.

But at he sat there, he wondered again, for the umpteenth time, what if?

What if he hadn't been the assassin, and she hadn't been the hotel manager, and they had just been a man and a woman who had met in an airport terminal? He would've asked for her number. She had a spark of fire in her, one that opened his eyes and made the whole world seem a little brighter.

But life wasn't fair, and there was no chance for them.

But maybe, just maybe, she was thinking about him too. He had to know. As soon as this mission was over, he was flying right to Miami. He had to see her. He didn't know what he would say. He was still angry. Maybe he'd just go to yell at her. Give her a scare.

His eyes opened in delight.

"Maybe I'll just let her know I'm still around," he muttered deliciously.

He returned to his work with a new determination.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah blah blah, fucking blah.

Chapter 3

Two weeks later.

As the day faded into night, Lisa pulled slowly into her driveway, savoring the peaceful silence in her car. She sighed. The sightings had gotten worse. Now, every time she saw a man with black hair and blue eyes, she had little mini heart-attacks, dropping whatever she had been holding. She hadn't seen him in a year, but she still couldn't stop thinking about him, obsessing over every word he'd said to her about coming back.

_"When we get out of this, I may have to steal you."_

_"We'll talk again."_

She shouldn't want to ever see him again. He was, basically, a big fat bummer. But she wanted to talk again. She wanted him to steal her.

She stepped out of the car, pulling the groceries out of the back seat, and fumbled in her purse for her keys. As soon as the key slid into the lock, an explosion of barking would've knocked her backwards, except she was used to it by now.

"Hi Baby, Mommy's home."

He gamboled around her, his entire bulk quivering like a seal.

"ok, ok." She lowered her face to be kissed, and put the groceries away, musing. She hadn't figured on how nice it would be to have someone this happy to see her at the end of every day. And it had been a hard one.

She went about her nightly routine of securing a weapon in each room, changing into her pjs, getting out her outfit for the next day.

She went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, and she noticed that all of her shampoos had been knocked over.

"Baby, no coming into Mommy's bathroom!" she yelled, resolving to keep the door closed in the future.

Shaking her head, she splashed water on her face and began brushing her teeth, examining her nails as she did so. God, but she would love a manicure. One of those spa treatments, where they give you massages and wax exfoliants during. That sounded lovely.

As she spit out the water and rinsed her mouth, she glanced into the mirror, and froze.

"Remember me, Lisa?"

It was him.

_Oh god, he's finally come to me, what in hell do I do?_

Deciding to play it cool, she folded her arms across her chest and stared at him questioningly.

Jackson's POV

After all this time, she was still as beautiful as he remembered, standing there in her cute little pajamas, trying to look so tough.

_What a brave little toaster she is_, he thought to himself.

He stepped closer, looking down at her trembling form.

_Why is she shaking? Is she that scared of me?_

He felt very strongly the fact that he was near her again. He felt it in his blood, and it felt powerful and electric, almost like he was on fire.

"How did you get in without me hearing?" she questioned.

He grinned, spreading his hands wide.

"I'm very mysterious, Leese."

"No, I mean-" she was cut off by Jackson letting out a wild spew of elegant curses.

"Fuck bugger shit-on-toast bastard bitch mother-fucking duck-a-duck!"

He looked down and a what appeared to be either a large dog or a small horse was clamped on to his leg. He caught a glance of Lisa's smug smile and commenced a battle royale with the …dog.

After a lengthy, strenuous tussle, it ended up that the dog was on top of Jackson with its teeth bared in his face, and he was holding its huge head in a deathgrip.

"Enough!" Lisa yelled, and whistled. The dog, amazingly, jumped off Jackson without hesitation and trotted joyfully over to Lisa. Jackson sat up slowly, rubbing himself down.

"You can control that monster?" he asked.

"This monster is my Baby." She fairly glowed with pride.

"Baby, huh." Every inch of Jackson hurt at this point, and he stood up slowly. Baby growled warningly, but Lisa dug her fingers into his fur and hummed deep in her throat.

Then she turned those blazing eyes on him.

"So what do you want?"

"I came back to tell you something," Jackson said to her. But his heart was doing weird flip-flops. It was strange, all he wanted to do was to tell her how much he'd been thinking about her, but for some reason, now confronted with her, he was overcome with rage. She had nearly killed him, and nearly lost him his job, dammit! This girl was trouble, there was no doubt about that. He looked down at her again, and she stared calmly back with those beautifully mild green eyes. He couldn't do it. It was too soon. Somehow, he found himself sneering in her general direction.

"So what's with the dog? Did you think he would protect you from me?" he laughed derisively. Inside he was kicking himself. Why was he acting this way? But he couldn't seem to stop it.

Now her eyes looked hurt. Then, her chin jutted out toughly, and he cursed. Now whatever chance he'd had on winning her over was dead. He was such a fool.

Lisa's POV

Jackson was being a jerk. Why? He'd looked like a decent human being earlier, but now he was acting just as he had towards the end of the red eye. She stood to her full height, glared daggers at him, and without a word, left the room, brushing him with her shoulder as she did. Baby followed her.

Jackson stared at the door, listening as she went down the stairs. Was she going to call the police now? He sincerely hoped not. He followed her, at a distance.

No. she was sitting at her kitchen table, moodily eating a large chocolate bar. He sat down across from her.

"Listen-" he began, but was cut off by a radio in his coat pocket. He flipped it out.

"_Cassidy to sundance, are you there? I repeat, Cassidy to Sundance, are you there?"_

Jackson brought a finger to his lips, and pointed at the radio. This was his boss contacting one of Jackson's inferiors, one of his dogs, as he called them.

_"Sundance here, Cassidy. We are positioned outside the house. There doesn't seem to be any action going on here, but we can verify that they both went in at different times of the day."_

_"Roger that. Do you have a lock on him yet?"_

_"Negative, all the shutters are pulled."_

_"Be ready to enter the house on my command. Capture, but do not kill for any reason. I repeat, do not kill for any reason."_

Lisa looked at Jackson questioningly, wondering what this was all about. Baby put his paws up on the table and sniffed the radio mistrustingly.

Lisa pushed him away.

"_It's time. Move in with all speed!"_

Jackson stood up quickly.

"We need to go," he said. Lisa looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Move! Now! Where is your back door?"

She pointed to the back of the kitchen.

"Where does it lead?" his heart pounded with every moment.

"To the backyard. Jackson, what on earth is going on?"

He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"I don't know yet, but I'll tell you when I do." And he started dragging her to the back door.

"Wait, what the hell? I'm not going anywhere with you," she cried out. Baby started barking furiously at the back door, and in the next second it was kicked open, showing a dark figure in the doorway.

Lisa was too shocked to even scream.  
"Come on," said Jackson. He pulled her hand out into the front hall, where the front door was being similarly broken into.

"Shit," he growled. They ran up the stairs, Baby jumping at their heels.

"here."

It was a second story window. Lisa stared at him.

"You got a better idea?" she shook her head. He forced it open, and they were about to jump, when Lisa exclaimed,"wait!" and ran back down the stairs.

Jackson cursed. There was no way she could- then there she was, shoving something into her pocket and taking his hand again.

This kind of touch, a willing one, almost brought his heart to his throat, but he tore his eyes away from her and they jumped together into her lilac bushes.

Jackson was immediately back on his feet, pulling lisa to hers and taking off down the driveway.

"Wait," lisa said. "Jackson, here." She drew her car keys out of her pocket and tossed them to him. By the time the men in her house knew that their marks had escaped, they were already halfway down the street.

Lisa felt a jolt. They'd forgotten Baby.

She looked at him, and he looked at her.

"Now what?" she asked him.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with red eye.

a/n: ok, before I get started, I would just like to say, love and hugs to everyone who read and reviewed. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, but you guys have all made me really happy. And I'd also like to say, I know the things in here aren't very realistic, especially in the coming chapters, but they make me happy. That's why I write them. Love you all!

On with the story.

Chapter 4

Mickey knew they didn't have long before Rippner figured out what was happening, so he motioned for the men to move with all speed.

"Search the upstairs," he whispered. He reached the bedroom, and was opening the door, when he heard a growling coming from the other side.

_She has a dog?_ Was all he had time to think before the door was barreled open and he was knocked all the way down the stairs by a large grey dog. All the men tried their best to catch him, but he was too fast. He made it out the front door, and howled his way down the street, searching for his wayward mistress.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisa heard Baby howling, and felt her knuckles turn white as she clenched her knees. If any of them hurt her Baby. . .

Jackson turned to look at her. He admired how cool she looked, and rolled down her window. Lisa sat back and let the cool air flow over her hot face and tried to piece together what had happened.

She couldn't ever go back to her house, that was certain. She could stay with her father, but she had no way of getting there now. . . clearly she was stuck with Jackson for the time being. And now, since she finally had time to take a step back from what was going on and think, she could examine her feelings. Jackson had come back to her. After a year, he had come back. And she could try to lie to herself and say she wasn't happy to see him, but that seemed rather counterproductive, at least in this point in time. She was afraid to speak, so she contented herself in looking at him. A silence filled the car, along with a discomfort. Lisa felt like she was breathing too loud, and her leg started twitching. To cover up the awkwardness, she leaned forward and switched on the radio.

A song was just coming on, and she heard the opening strains of a bass guitar. After a few minutes of that, the irreplaceable sound of "Papa was a Rollin' Stone" started.

_Papa was a rollin' stone_

_Wherever he laid his hat was his home_

_And when he died all he left us was alone._

Jackson shifted in his seat, though his face remained blank.

_What the hell is she doing?_

He looked over at her, and almost started laughing. The look of delight on her face was picturesque.

She started humming along, hesitantly at first, but at the next chorus, she burst out loud in accompaniment.

"Papa was a rollin stone

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died all he left us was alone!" before she knew what was happening, she was thumping her hands on the dashboard and moving her shoulders.

Jackson stared at her in disbelief._ Should I feel her forehead?_ He wondered. There she was, getting down with her bad self, right in the shotgun seat. He felt that he was at a complete loss for what to do. He felt like shooting himself. At the same time, he had never seen anything so adorable in his entire life.

When the song ended, Lisa shut the radio off, and a silence fell back over the car, and they both stared in opposite directions once again.

a/n: I know this was a short chapter, but once I got the idea in my head, I couldn't get rid of it. Don't worry, next one will be long with a twist!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own red eye

A/n: lots of love to everyone to reviews me, especially star. You guys mos def rock my socks. Something really funny happened today too, my cat ate almost an entire cup of Oodles of Noodles, I just wanted to share that. On with the story!

Chapter 5

Three hours had passed, and Lisa had fallen asleep with her head against the window. The full moon shown in through the windshield, lighting up her face like some kind of underwater pearl. Jackson smiled at the cute little pout on her face, and the way her lashes lay against her cheek. her red hair sifted gently against her forehead in the light breeze. She made a small moan and shifted slightly in the seat, causing Jackson to realize that he had been staring at her for several seconds now. He decided to take notice of the road, and swerved lightly away from an oncoming car. Amazingly, Lisa didn't wake up, only moved over with the swing of the car and leaned her head against Jackson's shoulder. He stayed perfectly still, but inside he felt something tighten and release in his chest, and he leaned his head down a tiny bit to take in the sweet smell of her hair.

Suddenly, he snapped himself out of his reverie. No. he couldn't do this. This was not part of the plan. The plan was to. . . He thumped his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. He didn't even have a goddamn plan. He had been so concerned about getting Lisa out of the danger that they both were in that he'd hardly noticed he was doing it. Lisa now woke up, and noticed where she was. She sat up quickly, glaring at Jackson as if it had been his fault she was snuggling up to him.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"About an hour and a half," Jackson replied steadily.

"Where are we going?" she checked the clock on the dashboard; 10:16.

"We're finding a motel to stay at tonight, because I cant drive for much longer." Jackson ran a hand through his hair, looking at the signs on the side of the interstate. "Looks like we're in Georgia right now."

Lisa pointed to a sign that said 'rest stop, gas, food, motel' and said, "let's stop here."

Jackson nodded. As they pulled up in front of the motel, Jackson said, "you're my wife, ok? And this is the second night of our honeymoon."

Lisa laughed. "you're joking, right?"

He shook his head. "Not even a little."

She saw that he was serious. He was giving her the evil look.

She sighed. "Fine, I'll do it, don't be a jerk."

"What, you're not gonna fight me on this?"

"What good would that do? It's a good idea."

He parked the car. he looked straight at her, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well," she began, "Your company wont be looking for a married couple, they're looking for a man who has kidnapped a woman. So it's a good cover for us. Also, they'll only give us one room, so it will be cheaper."

Jackson shook his head, impressed with her powers of deduction. "You know, Lisa, you'd be good at this job."

She shuddered at the idea. "I could never be a killer like you."

"Come on, Leese, don't knock it til you've tried it," he joked.

Thinking he was serious, she snorted with disgust and jumped out of the car, heading for the motel.

Jackson sat alone in the dark car for a moment, mulling over the fact that they'd just been acting civil towards each other, and then at a remark from him, she'd taken off. She really must not like his business. He ran his hands over his face. It was fine when he was acting the role of charming, but at this point, he felt that he couldn't act with Lisa anymore, and being himself was not as easy as he thought.

When he got inside, Lisa was asking for a room for two.

"What's the name?" asked the old woman boredly. Jackson looked at her with fascination. She had a green cucumber mask on her face, and her hair was pulled so tightly back in curlers that her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair.

Lisa looked at him.

"The name is Barlowe," he said. Then he walked over behind Lisa and put his arms around her. "We're on our honeymoon," he announced. He felt her stiffen and dug his fingers into her back slightly, letting her know that she better play along.

The old woman at the desk twitched her nose. "Mazeltov to you both," she said in a dry monotone.

Jackson decided to play with Lisa's head as long as he had her in this position. "Come on, Baby, let's hurry so we can christen the sheets."

At first Lisa tried to pretend that she hadn't heard him, but then opted to try to shock him back.

"Oooh." She moaned throatily, and tossed her hair back, smiling girlishly up at him through her lashes. She slipped a hand inside his shirt and ran her fingers over his abdomen. His eyes widened. He couldn't let her beat him. He buried his face in her neck and felt her slipping sideways. He smiled. He'd won.

The old woman was watching them with distate evident on her face. "Here's your key. Have a nice night."

"Oh, we will." Jackson swept Lisa off her feet and carried her out the door and over to their room. She went unprotestingly the whole way, until the moment they were alone in their room. She jumped out of his arms and slapped him across the face.

"You pig," she said, with all the disdain she could muster. Jackson just stared at her in shock. Then coolness took over.

"I suggest you get your sleep," he bossed. "You'll need it tomorrow."

Lisa glared at him, and stalked into the bathroom with her nose held high. He sat slowly on the bed and calmed himself down.

In the bathroom, Lisa was also trying to calm herself down. What had she been thinking? She almost lost her mind when he kissed her neck, and had actually been taken in by the fireman's carry he used to get her to the room. She swallowed furiously. She'd acted like such a fool. But even as she cursed him under her breath, part of her wondered, "what if tonight was their honeymoon?" and the part of her that wondered also enjoyed it.

When she came out of the bathroom, in a bathrobe provided, with her face washed and her teeth brushed, Jackson was already stretched out on the bed, taking up most of it. She cowered at the thought of sharing a bed with him, but said to herself: its only one night. So she laid herself gently next to him, barely moving it at all.

With his face to the wall, he heard her come in, and felt her climb into bed next to him, and noticed himself wishing he could take her in his arms. For some reason, he wanted comfort. But he didn't know about what.

a/n: I know you guys wanted me to save the dog, but it's very important that Baby is not with Lisa in upcoming chapters. Don't worry, he'll be safe.


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